Confessions
by Helennnn
Summary: His mind was still reeling from the shock of her confession. Were her feelings true or were they all simply lies to stop him in his pursue of Sasuke? Either way, he had to find out.


**Confessions**

She said that she loved him.

_She _loved _him._

But then afterwards, she turned around and left to pursue Sasuke.

Were her feelings true? Did Sakura really love him? Naruto closed his eyes as he clenched his fists. He felt so confused and part of him felt angry and he had no idea why!

What if Sakura had been lying when she said that she loved him? His eyes squeezed closed even tighter. Naruto didn't think he would be able to look at her the same way – if at all – if it turned out she had been lying. Even though he told her it wasn't funny and acted as though he didn't believe her, Naruto honestly had no idea what he was supposed to do or say or even think in a situation like that. What made it worse was that he was surrounded by his friends! It would have been downright humiliating if Sakura said afterward 'Oh, about what I said earlier… just forget about it' or something along those lines.

Naruto ran his hands through his hair as he sat up in his hospital bed.

There had been an accident during a mission and even though he was completely fine now, Tsunade said he had to stay in for observation. He had told her the same thing he always told her when she forced him to stay in the hospital. The Kyuubi inside of him increased his healing so he was always fine after a good night sleep. But she also told him what she always told him: if he dared to step foot outside of the hospital, she would personally make sure that he wouldn't be moving anywhere for at least a couple of weeks.

He had yet to have a good night sleep so that he could heal fully.

All Naruto could think about was her, her stunningly green eyes, her smile that lit up his entire world and her laugh. Oh how he enjoyed hearing Sakura's laugh and being the one to make her laugh. Naruto loved being the one to make Sakura smile or laugh or just genuinely happy.

Why did she have to say those words? They were messing with his head and stopping him from thinking clearly.

Naruto's eyes opened as he heard the door to his room slide open. Although he shouldn't have been, Naruto found himself feeling surprised that _she_ had come to see him. Why did he feel surprised? Why was his heart beating so fast? She always came to see him whenever he was in hospital!

"Naruto," Sakura spoke softly as she sat down beside him.

His eyes closed again at the sound of his name when it was spoken by her.

They weren't little kids anymore, they were both of age. But then… why did it feel like he was back at the academy hoping that Sakura would speak to him? She always spoke to him, no matter what she was doing!

Naruto shook the thoughts from his head, but kept his eyes closed as he started to speak in a surprisingly low and serious voice. "Sakura-chan, were you telling the truth?"

Her eyes narrowed as she scrutinized his expression but she couldn't see anything. "Telling the truth about what?" She asked warily.

"About loving me," Naruto sighed and finally opened his eyes. "Were you telling the truth about loving me?"

The first thing he saw was the colour pink. The second was a pair of shocking emerald green eyes. Naruto was surprised by her proximity. Had she always been that close to him? It felt like there was hardly any space between them.

"Of course I was telling the truth." Sakura smiled. "You're an important person to me, Naruto."

He shook his head as he stared intently into her eyes. "No, I mean the way you said you loved Sasuke. Do you really love me that way?"

Sakura's eyes widened as she saw the naked feelings in his eyes. He was showing her everything and leaving himself vulnerable. Sakura admired his courage. She knew how hard it was to confess your feelings or open up to someone. "I do, Naruto." Sakura said quietly, "But you have to understand that Sasuke-kun will always be in my heart."

Naruto nodded, keeping his eyes on his bed. Of course he already knew that Sasuke would have a place in her heart, she had loved him for how many years? He wasn't even sure. It would be stupid of him to think that Sakura could just throw away the affection she once had for Sasuke.

"The love I have for Sasuke," Sakura frowned as she tried to find the words. "I can't even describe it, it was always so… one sided and I was the one who always ended up being hurt. With you," Sakura blushed slightly and looked away as Naruto looked up at her with hope filled eyes. "With you, Naruto… you're so annoying and loud and stupid…" She almost burst out laughing when she saw the crushed look in his eyes out of the corner of her eye. Sakura took a deep breath before continuing, "But you're also caring, considerate and protective of those you care about.

"No matter what sort of trouble we may be in, we can always depend on you to help us out." Sakura smiled as her blush increased. "There are times when I would gladly kill you a hundred times over, but then I think: where would I be with him?" She looked up into his confused eyes. "Naruto, you have always been there for me and I've never felt safer than when I am with you. Sure, you're too loud sometimes and you sometimes say the wrong things at the wrong time, but that's just who you are.

"To change that, would be to change you." Sakura frowned again as she shook her head. "And I don't want that. I'm in love with you Uzumaki Naruto, as crazy as it sounds, I love you. You never have and I believe that you never will purposely harm me physically, mentally or emotionally."

"Sakura-chan," Naruto choked out.

Was he really hearing this? It seemed so impossible but at the same time, it seemed right. Naruto watched silently as Sakura stood up and sat on the end of his bed. She took one of his hands in hers and her eyes never left their joined hands for a second.

"I know that I've ignored you in the past and that I refused to acknowledge you, but the truth is I was just an air-headed little girl who had a crush on the popular boy." They both smirked at the memory of Sakura's crush. "When we were put on the same team, I hated it and I hated you. But the truth was, was that I was worried."

Naruto furrowed his brows in confusion. "Worried? What was there to be worried about, Sakura-chan?"

Taking another deep breath, Sakura started to fidget with their hands. "I knew that Sasuke would acknowledge you long before he acknowledged me and it got me worried. What if I got left behind? Or what if people only saw me as a burden or useless?"

"I would never think-"

She interrupted him with a small smile. "Let me finish. I was worried about you growing stronger than me, so I secretly made you my rival. I was constantly comparing our strengths and weaknesses and I pushed myself much harder than I have ever done before. I begged Tsunade-sama to take me as her student.

"But then… you left and I felt… cold and- and empty." Sakura frowned as her eyes darted to his eyes. "I don't know how to explain it, but it felt as though you took part of me with you. When you came back, I rushed around the village to find you but you weren't what I was expecting."

Naruto's smile faltered.

Sakura gave him another smile. "You had grown much stronger than I ever thought you would and you hadn't only grown in strength, but also many other ways." She chuckled. "You used to be shorter than me, but now I have to look up to you!"

The blond chuckled along with her and he looked down at their hands. They fitted together so perfectly, as though they were made for one another. His hand felt much warmer than what it ever had before.

"You had grown once again and I was left in the dust." Sakura smiled and stopped Naruto when he was about to interrupt once again. "But I didn't mind this time. I was just so grateful that you came back. The second I saw you… It felt like the reason why I call Konoha my home finally returned."

Naruto smiled at Sakura. He had never expected to hear something like that from her. His heart was racing as he placed Sakura's hand on his chest, right above his heart. "Sakura-chan. You are the only person who makes my heart feel as though it's about to burst out of my chest. Your presence intimidates me and I'm always afraid of saying the wrong thing and accidentally pushing you away or hurting you.

"I'm not really good with words, but I would just like to say that I will always protect you and you never have and never will be left behind in the dust. You're standing right at the front, by my side, where I want you to always stay because honestly, I couldn't imagine it any other way. I loved you Sakura-chan from the day I first saw you and I will continue to love you, forever."

Sakura's eyes filled with tears. To be acknowledged by her rival, her teammate and the one she admired was a huge thing so she allowed her tears to fall.

Naruto leaned forward until his forehead was pressed against hers and they could feel each other's breath on their faces. Sakura's eyes drifted closed as she closed the remaining distance and brushed her lips gently against his. The two were surprised by the electrical feeling that passed through them but they never stopped once. Naruto cupped Sakura's face with his free hand as he added a little pressure onto her lips.

He knew that it had been a good move because Sakura smiled against his lips. The blond traced her lower lip with his tongue, asking for the entrance that she was more than willing to give. Their tongues battled for dominance whilst their minds tried to catch up with what was happening.

They had both declared their love to each other and completely opened up, leaving nothing in the dark.

Sakura was the first to pull away from the kiss as she gasped for air. How long had they been kissing? It felt like she had been holding her breath for at least ten to fifteen minutes minimum!

She smiled at the adoration that she saw in Naruto's eyes and crawled over to him as he held his arms open for her. Sakura had never felt more loved or safe as she did at that moment. With Naruto, Sakura knew that she would always experience those feelings and she would always make sure that he felt the same things she felt as she laid there in his strong arms.

He was her safety, her protector.

She was his fighter, his lover.

And as they both drifted off into sleep, they silently vowed to always be there for one another and to always cherish each other.


End file.
